Verotika (2019) - Gothic horror atmosphere meets slasher elements and softcore aesthetics - 7/10 (09/09/20)

You should ask yourself three questions before watching Glenn Danzig's Verotika. First of all, do you like gothic horror stories? Secondly, are you fascinated by slasher flicks with guts and gore? Thirdly and lastly, do you appreciate softcore pornography? If your answers to all these questions are affirmative, then you could possibly like this movie despite its obvious weaknesses. If only some of your answers are affirmative, then you might not appreciate it but perhaps still find some elements intriguing. If all your answers are negative, then you would loathe the film and should avoid it altogether.

To those who haven't heard about this film yet, Verotika is based upon a line of comic books published by musician, producer, singer and songwriter Glenn Danzig who has always had a weakness for the aforementioned genres. The movie tells three unrelated tales of about thirty minutes that are briefly introduced by a host. ''The Albino Spider of Dajette'' tells the story of a prostitute who is haunted by a murderous monster wreaking havoc around her whenever she falls asleep. ''Change of Face'' is the tale of a mysterious stripper who murders people to collect their faces. ''Drukija, Contessa of Blood'' introduces the viewers to a gruesome countess who kidnaps virgin women and bathes in their blood to achieve eternal youth and sexual arousal.

On the positive side, the three tales have a constantly sinister atmosphere. The locations such as dark back alleys, dirty strip clubs and cold dungeons have been perfectly chosen. The lighting techniques are employed fittingly. The ideas behind the tales are obviously also quite gruesome. Up next, the different tales offer lots of guts and gore. Each tale gets progressively more brutal in that regard. The first tale features a few murder scenes, the second tale shows numerous disfigured victims and the last tale includes multiple splatter effects. Lastly, all movies include softcore pornography elements. The first tale starts with a prostitute seducing a client. The second tale takes place in a strip club and follows the antagonist's everyday life. The third tale shows how aroused the antagonist and her servant feel about blood.

This movie obviously also includes some major flaws that have been pointed out in numerous reviews. The acting performances are shallow and wooden as they are often delivered without conviction and creativity. The stories are extremely simple and become less imaginative as the film progresses. The camera work is static and almost every scene ends with unnecessary prolonged fade-outs.

In the end, Verotika isn't a masterpiece. It's not an excellent movie either. It's not even a very good film. But it's a good horror film with gothic atmosphere, slasher elements and hints at soft pornography. Personally, I think such a movie is more interesting than overlong pretentious horror films like Midsommar that people tend to analyze, discuss and interpret to death. Verotika might be shallow and clumsy but it's entertaining and unpretentious. Glenn Danzig wanted to create this movie exactly like he did without any compromises and made one of his biggest dreams come true. In this regard, the comparisons to Tommy Wiseau's The Room are perfectly accurate. Anyone is obviously entitled to dislike such movies. Criticizing the artists behind them however is a different thing. It's certainly admirable and even inspiring when artists make their wildest dreams come true despite many challenges and even hardships. When was the last time you took a big risk to make an ambitious dream come true?